A perfluoropolyether compound is widely used as a lubricant, an intermediate of various polymers, or the like and its application has been further expanded. The perfluoropolyoxyalkylene peroxide compound is known as a raw material of the perfluoropolyether compound. The perfluoropolyether compound can be obtained by the degradation or the reduction of the perfluoropolyoxyalkylene peroxide compound.
As a process for producing the perfluoropolyoxyalkylene peroxide compound, for example, a method in which tetrafluoroethylene is reacted with oxygen is known. Representatively, the reaction is performed by reacting tetrafluoroethylene with oxygen under an ultraviolet irradiation (Patent Document 1). Alternatively, a method is known wherein the reaction of tetrafluoroethylene with oxygen is started by adding a fluorine source, for example, F2, a FO-alkyl or the like without the ultraviolet irradiation (Patent Document 2). These reactions have been performed as a batch reaction by using a reactor having a general size (in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a grass reactor of 500 mL).